Hello friends! Today I will tell you what bugs eat Coral Bells and how to deal with them.
Vine weevils
Black vine weevils (Otiorhynchus sulcatus) are the most common pests of Coral Bells. They have a small, elongated black body and are most common in North America and Europe.
These pests are usually challenging to see because they hide underground during the day and only come out at night to feed. They eat the leaves, and you can see the result in the photo above.
However, not only adults destroy coral bells; the larvae do it as well. In spring, the female lays about a thousand eggs in the ground. After some time, the larvae hatch and begin to destroy the roots. The plant can be left without a root system if nothing is done.
Treatment:
- Use the beneficial nematodes Steinernema kraussei to kill the larvae and interrupt the breeding cycle. They are harmless to humans and animals.
- If the larvae have damaged the roots, dig up the bush and wash the root system with water. Don’t forget to kill the larvae. Then, plant the heuchera in sterile soil.
- If the roots are destroyed, take cuttings and root them.
- Spray the plant with a systemic insecticide.
Read more: How Do You Get Rid Of Weevils On Coral Bells?
May/June beetle
June beetles are quite big brown insects. They are primarily active from May to June, when they are in the breeding season. Their diet mainly consists of tree leaves, but they can also eat heuchera leaves.
Treatment:
- Dig the plant up, and you will surely find a large white grub that must be destroyed.
- Plant the damaged stem in a pot with clean soil and place it in full shade to root.
- Water the heuchera with an insecticide containing carbaryl to avoid future damage and prevent heavy spreading. This product is mildly toxic to humans and animals, but always follow the recommendations on the label.
Read also: How to Grow Heuchera Properly
Trips
Thrips are widespread insects with several thousand species. They affect a vast number of plants, including indoor and greenhouse plants.
They are tiny insects that spend most of their lives underground. In spring, a female emerges from under the ground and lays eggs on stems and the underside of leaves.
Over time, small insects emerge from eggs. They feed on the juice of the heuchera, turning the leaves pale and discolored. If this pest spreads considerably, the leaves will die off.
Treatment:
- Clean up any plant debris under the shrub. This is a favorite habitat for thrips.
- Use blue sticky traps to kill the adults.
- Another way is to buy and use ladybugs. These are natural enemies of thrips and will quickly destroy all their eggs.
- A final method is to spray the leaves with a watery neem oil solution.
Caterpillars
The last possible killer of heucheras is caterpillars. There are so many different insects whose caterpillars can chew on the leaves of this wonderful plant that there is no point in listing them here.
All you need to know is that the caterpillars eat the leaves along the edge or make holes in them. However, it is not always easy to spot these pests because many of them hide from birds under the leaves during the day and only come out to eat at night.
Treatment:
- If your heuchera’s leaves are damaged, inspect the entire bush thoroughly. Look at the underside of the leaves. If you find caterpillars, destroy them.
- Mix half a gallon of water with a teaspoon of dish soap and one teaspoon of vegetable oil. Then add two or three crushed garlic cloves and mix everything thoroughly. Spray the plant with this solution.
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